CAS interim order allows sprinter Dutee Chand to run in national events

New Delhi: Sprinter Dutee Chand, who had challenged world athletics body IAAF's hyperandrogenism policy, which bars female athletes having higher level of male hormones from competitions, has been granted permission to run in national events in a provisional ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sports pending a final decision.

The CAS, based in Lausanne in Switzerland, has, however, barred the Odisha runner from taking part in international events till a final decision on her case is decided by the international apex quasi-judicial body on sports.

Dutee Chand

"The CAS in its provisional ruling a few days back has given Dutee the permission that she can take part in national competitions. But she cannot compete in any international events till a final decision is made," a source in the know of her appeal at the CAS told PTI today.

"It's just a provisional ruling and what she has been allowed in the interim order may not hold true in the final one. So, we cannot say anything what will happen in the case. The CAS is having a break and so a final decision may come in three or four weeks," the source added.

The provisional ruling of the CAS, however, is not going to benefit much on Dutee as there is no national event as it is off-season for athletics except that the National Games are coming up at the end of January next year.

If the final decision from the CAS does not come by the time the National Games in Kerala begins on January 31, shewill be able to take part in them.

"In any case, a final CAS ruling should come by January and so, this provisional ruling seems to have little significance for Dutee. There is no national event in which Dutee can run now," the source said.

After Athletics Federation of India disqualified Dutee from any competition, holding her ineligible to do so under the Hyperandrogenism policy of International Association of Athletics Federations, she had filed an appeal at the CAS in September with the Sports Authority of India deciding to bear the cost of her legal fight.

SAI had also issued orders to allow her train at the National Institute of Sports at Patiala. Before that, she was found to have higher levels of androgen above permissible limits for a female athlete in a test conducted in Bangalore.